Biodegradable plastics are plastics that are degraded by the action of microorganisms such as bacteria, molds (fungi) and algae found in nature. The ideal biodegradable plastic is a polymer material that has excellent performance, can be completely decomposed by environmental microorganisms after being discarded, and is finally inorganicized to become an integral part of the carbon cycle in nature. "Paper" is a typical biodegradable material, while "synthetic plastic" is a typical polymer material. Therefore, the biodegradable plastic is a polymer material having both material properties of "paper" and "synthetic plastic".
Chinese name
Biodegradable plastic
Classification
Completely biological and destructive
Main composition
Natural polymer, aliphatic polyester, etc.
Foreign name
Biodegradable plastics
mainly includes
Polyethylene PE, polypropylene PP, etc.
Characteristic
Good degradability
Head
record
1 definition
2 applications
3 classification
4 development history
5 market status
6 related issues
7 specific measures
1 definition editing
Biodegradable plastics can be divided into two types: fully biodegradable plastics and destructive biodegradable plastics. Destructive biodegradable plastics currently mainly include starch modified (or filled) polyethylene PE, polypropylene PP, polyvinyl chloride PVC, polystyrene PS and the like.
Complete biodegradable plastics are mainly made from natural polymers (such as starch, cellulose, chitin) or agricultural by-products by microbial fermentation or synthesis of biodegradable polymers, such as thermoplastic starch plastics, aliphatic polyesters, polylactic acid. Starch/polyvinyl alcohol, etc. are all such plastics.
Starch-based biodegradable plastic
Starch-based biodegradable plastic
Biodegradable plastics based on natural substances such as starch currently include the following products: polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), starch plastics, bioengineered plastics, bio-generic plastics (polyolefins and polychlorinated chlorine). Ethylene) [1].
2 application editor
Biodegradable plastics are mainly used as soft and hard packaging materials for food because of their good degradability. This is also the largest application area at this stage.
The main target markets for biodegradable plastics are plastic packaging films, agricultural films, disposable plastic bags and disposable plastic tableware. Compared to traditional plastic packaging materials, new degradable materials cost slightly higher. However, with the increasing awareness of environmental protection, people are willing to use new and more expensive degradable materials for environmental protection. The enhancement of environmental awareness has brought tremendous development opportunities to the biodegradable new materials industry. With the development of China's economy, the Olympic Games, the World Expo and many other large-scale events that have shocked the world have been successfully held. The needs of the protection of the world's cultural heritage and national scenic spots, the environmental pollution caused by plastics has become more and more important. The management of white pollution is listed as one of the key tasks.
Developed countries and regions such as Europe, the United States and Japan have successively formulated and promulgated relevant laws and regulations, restricting the use of non-degradable plastics through measures such as partial ban, restriction, compulsory collection and collection of pollution taxes, and vigorously develop new biodegradable materials to protect the environment. Protecting the soil, France introduced a policy in 2005 that all disposable plastic bags must be biodegradable after 2010.
At the same time, China has also introduced a number of policies to encourage the application and promotion of biodegradable plastics. In 2004, the National People's Congress passed the Renewable Energy Law (Draft) and the Solid Waste Law (Revised) to encourage the use of recycled biomass energy and the promotion and application of degradable plastics. In 2005, the National Development and Reform Commission document No. 40 clearly encouraged The use and promotion of biodegradable plastics; in 2006, the National Development and Reform Commission launched a special fund project to promote the development of biodegradable materials; the definition, classification, labeling and degradation performance requirements of degradable plastics implemented on January 1, 2007 were obtained. The mutual recognition of countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan has facilitated the export of products by Chinese companies.
3 classification editing
Classification of raw materials, biodegradable plastics have at least the following:
Polycaprolactone (PCL)
This plastic has good biodegradability and has a melting point of 62 °C. The microorganisms that decompose it are widely distributed under the conditions of euphoria or anaerobic conditions. As a biodegradable material, it can be mixed with a starch or cellulose material or used in polymerization with lactic acid.
Polybutylene succinate (PBS) and its copolymer
The technology for producing various high molecular weight polyesters based on PBS (melting point of 114 ° C) has reached industrial production levels. Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical and Showa Polymer Co., Ltd. have begun industrial production, with a scale of about 1,000 tons.
Polylactic acid (PLA)
American Natureworks has done an active and effective work in improving the production process of polylactic acid. It has developed the fermentation of glucose from corn to produce polylactic acid, with an annual production capacity of 14,000 tons. Japan's UNITIKA Corporation has developed and produced many kinds of products, including canvas, trays and tableware, which are widely used in the Aichi Expo in Japan.
Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)
The biodegradable plastics obtained from renewable resources, the combination of aliphatic polyester and starch, and the production of degradable plastics have also been successfully researched. In Europe and the United States, blends of starch and aliphatic polyesters are widely used to produce products such as garbage bags. The largest and best-selling company in the world is Italy's Novamont, which is marketed under the trade name Mater-bi. The company's products are used in Europe and the United States.
Aliphatic aromatic copolyester
An aliphatic aromatic random copolyester (Ecoflex) manufactured by BASF, Germany, whose monomers are: adipic acid, terephthalic acid, and 1,4-butanediol. Production capacity is 140,000 tons / year. At the same time, biodegradable plastic products based on polyester and starch were developed.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) biodegradable plastic
For example, the MaterBi product of NOVMANT in Italy was mainly used to add PVA to starch in the 1990s. It can blow film and process other products. Polyvinyl alcohol materials need to be modified to have good biodegradability. The Institute of Light Industry Plastics Processing and Application of Beijing Technology and Business University has achieved certain results in this respect.
Carbon dioxide copolymer
In foreign countries, the first countries to study carbon dioxide copolymers were mainly Japan and the United States, but there has been no industrial production. Domestic Inner Mongolia Mengxi Group Corporation has adopted the technology of Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, and has built a device with an annual output of 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide/epoxy compound copolymer resin. The products are mainly used in packaging and medical materials. The low molecular weight carbon dioxide copolymer technology developed by Dr. Chen Liban of the Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been put into production in Taixing, Jiangsu Province. The variety is a low molecular weight carbon dioxide/epoxy compound copolymer, which is used as a raw material for polyurethane foam materials for household appliances. Wait for the packaging. Henan Tianguan Group has adopted the technology of Professor Meng Yuezhong of Sun Yat-sen University, and has built a pilot-scale carbon dioxide copolymer production line. It is expected to be pilot-produced this year.
Others such as chitin, polyamide, polyaspartic acid, polysaccharides, cellulose, etc. are under development.
Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)
3000 tons of biodegradable plastic
3000 tons of biodegradable plastic
From a global perspective, PHB and PHBV are recognized as one of the most promising biodegradable plastics and are also being developed. The pilot production cost of the technical side is about RMB 40/kg. The cost of the products after industrialization is further reduced, and the price advantage is obvious. Especially the technical production process is simple and the equipment is simple, so it is easy to promote and carry out large-scale production.
4 development history editor
According to the Japan Biodegradable Plastics Research Association, the production of biodegradable plastics in Japan was about 10,000 tons in 2002, about 20,000 tons in 2003, and about 40,000 tons in 2005. It is expected to reach about 100,000 to 200,000 tons by 2010.
According to the European Bioplastics Association, figures for 2001 show that the consumption of biodegradable products in the EU is between 5,000 and 30,000 tons, while the amount of traditional polymers is as high as 35 million tons. The European Bioplastics Association expects that the amount of traditional polymers will reach 55 million tons in 2010, while the amount of biodegradable plastics will reach 50 to 1 million tons by then. Biodegradable materials may eventually occupy a 10% market share. In biodegradable materials, the proportion of raw materials using renewable resources will account for more than 90%.
According to the statistics of the China Plastics Association's Degradable Plastics Professional Committee, the amount of biodegradable materials used in China in 2003 was about 15,000 tons, of which about 1,000 tons were biodegradable polymers without starch. In 2005, about 30 companies engaged in biodegradable plastics, with a production capacity of 60,000 tons/year, actual production of about 30,000 tons, domestic market demand of about 50,000 tons, foreign imports of 10,000 tons, and exports of 20,000 tons. It is estimated that the production capacity will reach 250,000 tons in 2010. For details, please refer to the “Forward-looking China Biodegradable Plastics Industry In-depth Research and Investment Strategy Planning Analysis Report”.
Some developed countries are also guided by the idea of circular economy, using degradable disposable utensils, such as Sweden in the late 1980s to try to make disposable snack boxes made of potato and corn, South Korea used the law to mandate the use of toothpick made of glutinous rice Wait. Europe has established EN13432 “Requirements for the testing and final evaluation of packaging materials for composting and biodegradation for biodegradable composting plastics”, while other decrees on promoting organic waste composting are being actively developed and prepared. The US government has set the President's Green Chemistry Challenge Award since 1996 to encourage the development of the biodegradable plastics industry. In 1989, New York State banned the use of non-biodegradable vegetable bags, subsidized manufacturers of degradable plastics, and asked citizens to separate renewable and non-renewable waste, or a fine of $500.
Other countries have taken similar measures: India has enacted legislation prohibiting the use of plastic packaging in the dairy industry; South African law has completely banned the use of plastic bags. With the development of national legislation, biodegradable new packaging materials are expected to become increasingly popular.
In China, with the deepening understanding of degradable plastics, the strategic role of this material and its industry in China's sustainable development has been fully recognized. The widespread use of biodegradable plastics has been widely accepted. The Chinese passed the Renewable Energy Law (Draft) and the Solid Waste Law (Revised) in 2004, encouraging the use of recycled biomass energy and the promotion and application of degradable plastics. In the No. 40 document of the National Development and Reform Commission in 2005, it was also explicitly encouraged to encourage the use and promotion of biodegradable plastics. In 2006, the National Development and Reform Commission launched a special fund project to promote the development of biomass biodegradable materials.
5 market status editor
By 2019, the market value of the biodegradable plastics industry will grow at an average annual growth rate of 13.01% to $3.477 billion. The European biodegradable plastics market is expected to grow at an average annual growth rate of 12% from 2014 to 2019.
Biodegradable plastics are ushered in a period of rapid development. Although the concept of biodegradable plastics has been heated up, the application has not been able to increase the volume.
Biodegradable plastics are mainly used in packaging, fiber, agriculture, injection molding and other fields. Among them, the packaging industry is the most widely used. In 2013, it accounted for 60% of the total market, and food packaging demand accounted for more than 70% of the biodegradable plastic packaging market. The market for injection molding applications is the main driver of demand for biodegradable plastics.
By the end of 2013, Europe and the United States were the main markets for biodegradable plastics. According to statistics, in 2013, biodegradable plastics in Europe and North America accounted for 54% and 28% of the world respectively.
The European Parliament's Environmental Committee passed a draft on reducing the use of disposable lightweight plastic bags in the first half of this year. The draft proposes that the 28 member states of the European Union will effectively reduce the use of plastic bags in a two-step manner to achieve the goal of reducing the use of ultra-thin plastic bags by 80% in 2010 compared to 2010. This resolution is expected to greatly boost the market demand for biodegradable plastics, and it is expected to create huge growth opportunities for related manufacturers in the next five years. [3]
6 related issues editing
However, although there are many researches and reports on degradable plastics, many specific problems cannot be solved, and the promotion is extremely difficult, and the prospects are not optimistic. The reasons are as follows: First, because the degradable plastic bag has low load-bearing capacity, it can not meet the requirements of customers for more loading and repeated use; second, the color of the degradable plastic bag is dim and yellow, and the transparency is low, giving a feeling of being clean and unsightly. The use is not assured; the third is the high price, because the business is free, so the cost is unacceptable.
Another example is to solve the environmental pollution problem of EPS fast food lunch boxes. Try to replace it with a paper lunch box or a degradable plastic lunch box. However, due to the following reasons, it is extremely difficult to promote: First, EPS is high in intensity, light in weight and good in heat preservation; second, the price of paper lunch box is 1.5 to 2.5 times that of EPS; thirdly, even if a PP lunch box is used, its performance is better than On the EPS. Chinese authorities have requested the use of plant fibers to make disposable tableware instead of EPS. However, since a polymer hot melt is used in the molding process of such plant fiber tableware, there is still a problem of handling and a problem of controlling the content of the pesticide remaining in the plant fiber tableware.
Therefore, there is still a long way to go to develop and research degradable plastics. The development of biodegradable plastics industry is facing five major problems. The first is that the technology is not mature enough, and the performance of degradable plastic products cannot fully meet various consumer needs. Although there are many varieties of biodegradable plastics on the market, the mechanical and processing properties of each material are only prominent in one aspect, and there are still some shortcomings in the overall performance. At present, the strength of research on the processing of degradable plastic products in China is still weak. Most enterprises will focus on the synthesis of materials, ignoring the development of product processing, and some food and beverage utensils made of biodegradable plastics are resistant to heat, water and machinery. The strength is far from the traditional plastic products.
The second is the cost issue. The price of biodegradable plastic products is still difficult to base with petroleum
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